The United Kingdom flag is among those that could change if the Scottish Independence efforts succeed.
The vote results are scheduled to be announced on Friday morning.
The flag representing the United Kingdom combines three flags at present--that of England a red cross on a white background), Scotland (a white, diagonal cross on a blue background) and Ireland (a red, diagonal cross on a white background), and has origins that stretch back to 1606, reported the Australian Times.
“Some believe that, should Scotland obtain its independence, the St Andrew’s cross representing Scotland could (or should) be removed from the Union Jack with the possible consequence that at least 30 other flags could have to be changed too.”
The Union Jack also appears on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, and about 30 other countries, raising questions about whether these flags could be changed as well.
For the United Kingdom flag, it’s certainly possible that whether the Scotland design is removed, the Wales design is brought in. Wales isn’t represented in the union jack because it was part of the English kingdom when the flag was designed.
“If Scotland’s coming out then surely Wales must go in,” Charles Ashburner, chief executive of the Flag Institute, told BBC last year. Some design possibilities include stripping the blue field of the Scottish flag and replacing it with black, and sees the white bands turn a shade of yellow; or stripping out the blue field and adding elements of Wales’ current national flag--the field of green and white that lies behind its red dragon.
But the College of Arms, the authority for official flags for the UK and the Commonwealth, told ITV last year that because the Queen would remain the head of state in an independent Scotland, the Union Flag would not be affected.
